Improvement in magazine fire-arms



KEE'NE. Magazine Fire-Arms.

Patented Feb. 24,1874.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. KEENE, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAGAZINE FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 147,945, dated February 24, 1874; application filed December 6, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. KEENE, of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Breeeh-Loading and Magazine Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, sufiicient to enable those skilled in the art to which my invention apper-tains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making part of this specication, and to the letters and igures marked thereon.

My invention relates to certain improvements on those lire-arms for which Letters latent of the United States were granted to Bethel Burton, August 11, 1868, No. 81,059, (reissued November 2, 1869, No. 3,699,) and June 29, 1869, N o. 92,013; and to William G. lVard, June 29, 1869, No. 92,129, August 31, 1869, N o. 94,458, December 7, 1869, N o. 97,734, February 1, 1870, No. 99,504, and February 21, 1871, N o 111,994.

My invention consists, first, in a carrier and elbow-lever raised and lowered by the engagement of its short arm with a groove in the L- shaped slot in the bolt; second, the combination of the L-shaped slot in the bolt with the short arm of the carrier-lever, for the purpose of holding the carrier down while the breech remains closed by the bolt; third, the combination of a groove in the L-shaped slot with the short arm and fulerunI-block of the carrierlever, for the purpose of preventing lateral displacement of the carrier; fourth, a ily in the end of the carrier, to operate on the cut-off hook in the rear end of the magazine-tube, for the purpose of releasing the cartridge from the magazine when the carrier is descending, and for avoiding friction of the parts when ascending to convey the cartridge to the chamber of the barrel; fifth, a cut-off hook in the rear end of the magazine-tube, having a downward and forward motion when the carrier descendi to receive a cartridge, so as to. be out of the way of the carrier, and an upward and backward motion when the carrier has passed` the hook, so that cartridges of different lengths may be used in the magazine, and but one cartridge at a time is allowedto escape therefrom, while friction of the parts is lessened; sixth, a

the gun is being operated as a magazine or as a single-loader; seventh, a carrier and elbowlever, having its fulcrum on a level with the bottoni of the magazine-tube, so that .when the carrier isV raised it assumes an inclined position, with the point of the cartridge opposite the chamber of the barrel; eighth, ribs or flan ges in the bottom of the receiver and top of the carrier-well, to prevent the cartridge from being thrown out of the ieceiver as the carrier rises to convey the cartridge to the chamber of the barrel; ninth, an inclined surface in the rear end of the carrier-well, for the purpose of throwing the cartridge forward as the carrier rises to convey the cartridge to the chamber of the barrel; tenth, a cut-011' slide,

to reserve the magazine and press the cartridge forward out of the way of the carrier when the gun is used as a single-loader; eleventh, a stock for a magazine-gun, made in two pieces, with the joint coveredbythe band and the front end resting against a lug on the barrel to prevent displacement, whereby the bore for the magazine-tube may be drilled in the stock, so as to leave the front end closed and solid.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is al side -view of a gun embodying' my improvements, representing a longitudinal vertical sec- Y tion. Fig. 2 is a side view of the bolt. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the bolt. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken in the line a; w of Fig. 2, looking toward the rear end. Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken in the line z z of Fig.. 1, looking toward the front end. Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken in the line y'y of Fig. 1, looking toward the rear end. Fig, 7 is a top View of the receiver, showing the ribs or flanges in the bottom thereof. Fig'. 8 is a side view of the receiver and carrier-well made in one piece.

Fig. 9 is a bottom View of the receiver and carrier-well. Fig. 19 is a top view of the carrier and elbow-lever. Fig. 11 is a side view of the carrier and elbow-lever, showing the carrier in an inclined position.

The receiver Band carrier-well B2 are made in one piece of` metal, as shown in Figs. 1, 8,

and 9, for the purpose of obtaining strength,

solidity, and security. By this construction,

both parts are stronger and more solid than when made in two pieces and -attached together, and are held securely in place in the opening in the stock made for their reception,

while the carrier-well assists in taking up the recoil and preventing displacement of the receiver and the barrel. The carrier'L is made in one piece with an elbow-lever by stamping or swaging, or by any other suitable process. The short arm l of the lever rises in a nearly vertical position, and engages with a groove formed on one side of the L-shaped slot described in the patents of Burton and Ward, hereinbefore referred to. This groove l2 (see Figs. l, 3, and 4) extends for nearly the entire length of the longitudinal portion of the slot, so that when the bolt 'F is moved forward to close the breech the rear end of the groove Z2 strikes the short arm l, and depresses the carrier to the position shown in Fig. 1, and when the bolt is drawn back the front end of the groove strikes the short arm on its front edge, and raises the carrier to the inclined position shown in Fig. 11.

When the bolt F is moved forward to close i Ithe breech, and the rear end of the groove l2 depresses the carrier, the lhandle f is then turned down to the right to lock the piece, and the short arm-l travels in the transverse portion of the L-shaped slot, the rear edge-of the slot bearing against said short arm, and holding the carrier down while the breech remains closed by the bolt.

The carrier-lever has its fulcrum in a block, B4, which serves to limit the travel of the trigger, in the same manner as the button B4 shown and described in Letters Patent No. 111,994, before referred to`. A pivot formed on one side ofthe lever has its bearing in the .block B4, and the side of the lever itself bears against the side of the block, (see Figs. 1, 10, and 11,) and prevents lateral displacement in one direction, while the side of the groove l2, bearing against the side of the short arm l, prevents lateral displacement in the opposite direction, and thus all lateral displacement of the carrier is effectually prevented.

For holding the carrier in an elevated position while conveying the cartridge to the chamber of the barrel, I employ a spring, s, one end of which is dovetailed into the upper side of the guardplate, so as to leave the other end free. Near the free end is a rounded projection, s', which engages with a notch in the lower side of the lever, immediately under the fulcrum, when the lever is elevated, and holds the carrier inthe position shown in Fig. l1 until the bolt is again moved forward, so that when using the gun as a magazine-gun, when the carrier containing a cartridge is elevated by the backward motion of the bolt, it

`is held in such elevated position by the spring s until the cartridge is inserted in the chamber the barrel by the forward motion of the bolt. In the front end of the carrier is a springy, l, pivoted in a notch formed in the center of said front end opposite thecut-o' hook in the rear cnd of the magazine-tube, and actu ated by a spring insertedV in a recess behind said notch, as shown in Fig. 1. When the carrier is pressed down by the'forward motion of the bolt, the fly depresses the cut-off hook, and allows a cartridge to escape from the magazine-tube and rest upon the carrier. When the carrier is raised by the backward motion of the bolt, as the ily passes the cut-olf hook, it slips by and presses back said hook, and avoids friction of the end of the carrier against the head of the cartridge in the magazine-tube. The cut-off hook h has attached to its inner end a crescent.- shaped bar, h2, (see Fig. 6,) which-partly surrounds the lower side of the inner end of the magazine-tube H2, and has a slight play in a recess of the stock longitudinally of the barrel, so that the hook may project slightly beyond the inner end of -the tube,

or may be pressed inward out of the way of the carrier. The hookworks iu a recess in 4the front wall of the carrier-well, and has 1inceive a-cartridge froml the magazine-tube, the

iiy Z4 presses the hook h downward and releases a cartridge, and at the same time presses it forward or toward the front end of the barrel, so as to bewout of the way `of the carrier. When the carrier has passed the hook, the spring under the hook gives it an upward motion to regain its former position, and the feedin g-spring in themagazinetube gi ves .it a backward motioufor the same purpose. By means of this hook, so arranged and operating, the cartridges are fed out one at atime from the magazine-tube to the carrier, and there isjno necessity for additional cut-offs operating at different points in the magazine-tube, so thatcartridges of different lengths may be used' with the same facility as those ofnniform length. By havingthe hook arranged so as to be pressed back by the ily, friction of the carrier against the hook is lessened.,

When the carrier" is in its elevated position, its front end is, above the level of the bottom of the chamber of the barrel, so that, whether the gun is bengoperated as a single-loader or as a magazine, vwhen a 'cartridge has been inserted in the chamber of the barrel, the fron end of the carrier prevents it from dropping out while the breech remains open.

The elbow-lever has its fulcrum on a level with the bottom ofthe magazine-tube, so that when the carrier is raised it assumes an inclined position, with the point of the cartridge opposite the chamber of the barrel, so as to insure its insertion in the chamber by the forward movement of the bolt, and so that the bolt in its forward movement will lirst strike the cartridge outside of its center. In the bottom of the receiver and top of the carrierv Well, at the rear end, is a rib or flange, i4, of

semic'ircular or semi-elliptical form, overhanging the rear portion of the well, so that when the carrier rises with a cartridge thereon, it is prevented from being thrown out of the re- 147,945 e l y ceiver, because the flange i4 engages with the head of the cartridge to prevent it from rising, while the point of the cartridge brings up against the overhanging portion i5 of the front end of the receiver, (see Figs. 1, 7, and 9,) and the cartridge is held in an inclined position until the bolt is moved forward, when the front end of the bolt catches the portion of the head of the cartridge which projects above the flange i4, and inserts the cartridge in the chamber. In the upper corner of the rear end of the carrier-well, under the an ge 4, is an inclined surface, 1"", against which the head of the cartridge bears as it is raised by the carrier, and is thus thrown forward toward the chamber of the barrel. A cut-olf slide, K4, is arranged in a recess in the receiver by means of a screw passing through a longitudinal slot in said slide, so as to allow it to be moved up and down by means of a finger-piece at the upper end. The lower end of the slide is beveled, so that when pushed down by the finger-piece, it protrudes into the rear end of the magazinetube, pressing the cartridge forward out of the way of the carrier, and reserving the contents of the magazine, so that the gun may be 4used as a single-loader. The slide K4 Iis made of elastic metal, and is held in place, either up or down, by the engagement of a rib or projection with notches cut in the surface of the receiver. (See Figs. 5, 8, and 9.)

In boring the hole for the magazine-tube, the stock is divided at any suitable point between the breech and the muzzle, and the hole is bored from both directions-that is to say,

toward the breech in one piece, and toward the muzzle in the other piece. When the parts are placed in position, the joint is covered by the band, as shown in Fig. 1, and the front end is prevented from becoming displaced by means of a lug or projection on the barrel.

By this construction the bore may be made with accuracy and to any desired depth, leaving the front end of the stock closed and solid.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a magazine fire-arm, the combination, with a sliding reciprocating bolt or breechcloser, having an L-shaped 'slot and a contiguous groove, l2, of a carrier and elbow-lever,

whereby said carrier is raised and lowered, and the short arm of the lever is prevented from jamming and disconnection with the said bolt during the manipulation of the arm, sub stantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with a sliding bolt, provided with an L-shaped slot and a groove ad?` jacent to said slot, of a carrier-operating lever or arm, whereby a well-known breech-bolt-may be used to operate the carrier without modification, except to provide the groove, thevcarrier being held down by the transverse portion of the L-shaped slot, and prevented from displacement when the breech is closed, substantially as shown and described.

3. The .combination of the bolt having the l L-shaped slot and the groove l2 with the short arm of the lever, constructed as described, whereby. lateral displacement of the carrier, arm is prevented, substantially as specified.

. 4. The ily in the end of the carrier, operating upon the cut-off hook, substantiallyv as and for the purpose shown and described.

5. The cut-off hook in the rear end of the Q magazine tube, constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.'

6. A carrier so arranged that its front end holds the cartridge in place in the chamber of the barrel, and prevents it from dropping out, whether the gun is being operated as a magazine or as asingle-loader, substantially as shown and described.

7. A carrier and elbow-lever,pivoted and operating as shown,'so'that when the carrier is raised it assumes 'an inclined position, with the point of the cartridge opposite the center of the chamber of the barrel, whereby the bolt in its forward movement will rst. strike the cartridge outside of its center, substantially as described. f

8. The flanges 114 in the bottom of the relceiver and top of the carrier-well, engaging with the head of the cartridge to prevent it 'from beingl, thrown out of the receiver, sul- A stantially as shown and described.

9. The inclined surface 6, for throwing the cartridge forward, substantially as shown and described. i

10. The cutoff slide, to reserve the magazine and press the cartridge out of the way of the carrier, constructed and operating 'sub-1 stantially as shown and described.

11. A stock for a magazine-gun made in two pieces, with the joint covered by the band,

substantially as shown and described, for the purpose specified. A

J. W. KEENE..

Witnesses:

A. T. SANGs'roN,

E. R. BROWN. 

